companion blog to the e-book the 24/7 Low Carb Diner

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Chicken in Sour Cream Sauce

I am definitely not a french chef. Come to think of it, I am not even really a "foodie." I usually serve foods that are really nothing fancy. I'm no Martha in the kitchen, requiring the absolute best of everything. I even--gasp--use garlic powder rather than washing the garlic out of those tiny grates. I often use lemon from that little plastic bottle because I just don't have all day to do the ultimate prep. Maybe it is because I make so much MAN food. The Diner style really fits us best. Good food, fast prep. Doesn't leave too much time for finicky palettes.

For example, tonight's sauce is a little lumpy. I didn't even notice that until after I photographed my plate. Did a little lump of sour cream bother you? Hope not, because we ate it all up. The taste was wonderful. If you are a Martha, go ahead and drag out the immersion blender to make sure every bit is incorporated. Or, if you are like the weekday me, just whisk it by hand and dare to eat a lump!

Either way, sauces are a challenge. I think I would add a little bit more thickener, so I will alter the recipe for you. I just used a half teaspoon, but let's try a full teaspoon. My chicken must have released a few more juices which thinned the sauce out in the oven. When it cooled, it was a bit thicker again. Using a bit more thickener ought to do the trick...but then, I am still learning my way around the kitchen with glucomannan. Your mileage may vary, so I included the option of using xanthan gum too.

Use a contact grill to cook chicken until almost done. While chicken is cooking, make sauce. Melt the butter. Add the broth and stir well. Stir in the thickener, sprinkling very lightly as you whisk briskly. When mixture begins to thicken, stir in sour cream. Adjust salt.

Transfer browned chicken to a small casserole dish. Pour the sauce over the top and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.

I had intended to add some tarragon to this sauce, but alas,it has disappeared out of my spice rack. Who knows where it is hiding in my pantry? I really need to do some spring cleaning in there! Even without it, this is really good. The sour cream really gives a nice flavor to the sauce.

I served tonight's chicken with roasted broccoli. I love that stuff. It is totally different from the steamed veggie. I just toss frozen crowns with some olive oil and some lemon pepper or a squirt of lemon juice. I bake it with whatever happens to be in the oven at the time. This is just important to watch if you are using the higher temperatures. A tiny bit of browning is fine, but too much will ruin the dish. We also had a romaine lettuce salad with a good Italian dressing to counter the creaminess of the sour cream sauce.

I started my cheesecake bites recipe again, so you can bet they will be on the blog tomorrow!